California Republicans, All but Endangered, See Hope in Local Race

HANFORD, Calif. — California Republicans hold no statewide office. They are ignored in the Legislature, where Democrats enjoy overwhelming majorities. Hispanic voters, who are expected to outnumber whites in California within the next several months, strongly back Democrats.

So Republican officials are seizing on the strong performance of a Republican candidate for a special election in the State Senate here in the Central Valley — in a district where Hispanics make up the majority of voters and registered Republicans trail Democrats by 22 percentage points — as a road map to a turnaround in their party’s fortunes.

Andy Vidak, a 47-year-old farmer, came close to capturing the 16th Senate District’s vacant seat in May — so close that he was declared the winner, until a final tally of the votes showed that he was about 150 votes short of the simple majority required to avoid a runoff. On Tuesday, he will face the Democrat who came in second, Leticia Perez, a 36-year-old lawyer and city supervisor in Bakersfield.

Analysts say it will be difficult to draw lessons from the outcome of a single race, particularly a special election. But Republicans, who had been facing a relentless stream of bad news until this contest, do not see it that way.

In the months since last fall’s elections, which emphasized the growing importance of the Hispanic vote across the nation, state Republican leaders have redoubled efforts to reach out to them, Mr. Huff said. This month, he said, he visited a large evangelical Hispanic church in San Diego along with Connie Conway, the Assembly minority leader, and Jim Brulte, the Republican Party chairman.

“We have to show up to people and help them realize that we don’t have three eyes and five hands or whatever that scares them,” he said. “It’s a long time to rebuild this party and this brand, but I think we’re on that road. Andy Vidak is the first step in that long path for us.”

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Andy Vidak, a Republican, came close to winning outright in a State Senate district where Hispanics make up the majority and registered Republicans trail Democrats by 22 percentage points.Credit
Jim Wilson/The New York Times

A third-generation resident of the Central Valley, Mr. Vidak grows cherries and raises cattle. He emphasizes his business background, describing himself as a nonpolitician. He gained name recognition by mounting a strong, though ultimately unsuccessful, challenge in 2010 to Jim Costa, the Democratic congressman here.

He talks about creating jobs, and his opposition to big government projects like the planned high-speed rail system between San Francisco and Los Angeles. He favors immigration change that would open a path to citizenship for those who came here illegally.

On a recent morning, Mr. Vidak met with black ministers in Bakersfield. A few hours later, wearing a cowboy hat, he checked in with volunteers at his campaign headquarters here, his hometown. A small city west of Highway 99, with a drive-in movie theater and an old-fashioned ice cream parlor downtown that was packed late in the afternoon, Hanford reminded Mr. Vidak of his upbringing in Visalia, a larger city about 20 miles east, he said.

The 16th Senate District, which was gerrymandered as a safe Democratic seat in 2000, became vacant this year when the former occupant, Michael Rubio, resigned abruptly for a government relations job with Chevron. Mr. Vidak said he decided to run despite what most people considered unfavorable demographics.

“I don’t see it that way because I live here,” he said. “Everybody’s the same to me. This district is a very, very conservative district. Go to church. They like their guns. Family is No. 1. They all work hard. I’m no different than anyone else here.”

Asked how Republicans can win over Hispanic voters, he said simply, “Be yourself.”

On a recent afternoon, his opponent, Ms. Perez, accompanied by her husband, Fernando Jara, 37, knocked on doors of registered Democrats in the poor, heavily Hispanic part of Bakersfield where both grew up. Ms. Perez describes herself as a moderate Democrat who strongly supports the high-speed rail project but also California’s oil industry, which is based in Bakersfield.

“It’s really, really important that we get people in office who come from our communities, understand what our struggles are and are going to fight for families,” Ms. Perez told one voter, Juan Hidalgo, 34, a freelance computer consultant.

“If she wins, she will be the first Latina in the Central Valley to get to the State Senate,” her husband added.

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Mr. Vidak faces Leticia Perez, a Democrat, in a runoff.Credit
Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Later, Mr. Hidalgo, who had not been following the race, said he would vote for Ms. Perez. “Like she said, she’ll be the first one to be in there and start making changes, hopefully,” he said.

Another resident, Lupe Jacquez, 75, also embraced the candidate, though she said she was troubled by the Democratic Party’s position on same-sex marriage and abortion rights.

Ms. Perez’s father, Victor Perez, 65, is a socially conservative voter who remains a registered Republican despite his growing unease over the party’s stance on immigration. The Democratic Party has not won him over because of its positions on social issues, and he said he voted independent in last fall’s presidential election.

These conservative Hispanics are “susceptible to Republican appeal on certain issues, but on balance fall more heavily in the Democratic camp,” said Nathan W. Monroe, a political scientist at the University of California, Merced.

To tilt the balance, Republicans have to embrace immigration change, said Blodgie Rodriguez, a longtime Republican and supporter of Mr. Vidak’s.

“Andy’s been very open about his position on the pathway to citizenship,” said Mr. Rodriguez, a real estate agent in Bakersfield. “The Republican Party has a lot to learn from him on taking a stance on the importance of immigration reform. Hispanics are traditionally Catholic and conservative, and that goes hand in hand with the Republican Party. There is no reason why there shouldn’t be more Hispanic Republicans.”

Mr. Brulte, the Republican Party chairman, attributed Mr. Vidak’s strong showing to his deep roots in the Central Valley.

“There’s nothing difficult about winning an election,” he said. “Recruiting candidates that reflect their neighborhood is the key to start rebuilding the Republican Party in the state.”

A version of this article appears in print on July 20, 2013, on Page A12 of the New York edition with the headline: California Republicans, All but Endangered, See Hope in Local Race. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe